Chapter 38: Interrogation, Whose True Heart

  The world is originally composed of thousands and thousands of lies, but Fang Xiaoling didn't expect to become a part of it. If even oneself is a lie, then what is real?

  Fortunately, she still had him. He was still well and truly in front of her, warm, fresh and alive.

  She recalled the time after her frenzy, when she saw Xun Qing, she buried herself in his chest, listening to the steady heartbeat that was like a bell, and an unprecedented sense of stability brought wave after wave of drowsiness sweeping over her.

  Xun Qing held her quietly and gently, as if she weighed nothing. He rested his head on her shoulder, his arms wrapped around her. "I'm so glad I can still see you," he said, but wasn't he the same?

  After the ups and downs, her state of mind is not what it used to be. She was once obsessed with being together, obsessed with individual life and death, but now she finds that it's not that simple. Xun Qing is the person for whom she can give up her life, in the past, now, and in the future. The fate of human beings and monsters is just a cycle, and the reason why she has been persistent until now - is still because of herself. It's her own guilt, self-blame that dragged herself to this point. If only she had been by his side back then, at least it wouldn't have...

  Wait, why wasn't I at the Su's old house back then?

  She scratched her head, after all, time was stuck there, and these details couldn't be remembered entirely. Moreover, she didn't have the energy to dwell on this now, as she wasn't just finding out about her boss's nasty temper today. This speaking half-truths and hiding half of it, teasing people's appetite, she estimated that she didn't have time to go find him and ask clearly, so the fastest method was to directly ask Zhang Zhaoyan.

  And without mentioning whether Zhang Zuoyan would tell her the truth or not, she still hoped in her heart that Zhang Zuoyan had not betrayed Xun Qing. She had watched them grow up, and in this era where people spoke nonsense, they were probably one of the few friends who could treat each other with sincerity. What she least wanted to see was that on a certain day in the future, they would cross swords and become strangers forever.

  A variation point appeared on the timeline, triggering a butterfly effect, slowly deviating from its original trajectory. She changed Xun Qing's departure time from the teahouse, so everything that followed would be altered. But now it seems that history has started to 'correct' itself, and the assassination attempt was supplemented with another blow, and this blow...

  "Ah……" Fang Xiaoling irritably rubbed her hair. Having been under high pressure for a long time, she hadn't rested at all. In short, she felt that she was about to become the first unlucky demon beast to faint from overthinking.

  It's undoubtedly early now, the sun shines all over the land, and the magpies chirp happily on the branches. But at Xiaoling's house, there is only a dark and gloomy atmosphere, so dark that it seems to drip with ink.

  "Ah......" Ah, if she were to run into Xun Qing later, he would definitely put her back in bed. She thought this, and a bitter smile involuntarily curled up at the corner of her mouth.

  "Hey~~good morning~~~" The man in the bright red robe laughed wildly, still holding a pale blue paper umbrella in his hand.

  Is it raining?

  Really?!!!!

  The house was small and uncomfortable, with a lecherous man staring at her with an umbrella on a sunny day. What was he thinking? He was even more... than the women in the pleasure boats on the river.

  Unfortunately, Fang Xiaoling can no longer find adjectives to despise this bastard. A book is useless when you need it most, and now she is the absolute supporter of this sentence.

  "Aren't you blind? How did you know I was here? Besides, what are you doing coming here?"

  "Hmm...so many problems." Zhang Zuoyan walked slowly over and sat down beside her, placing his folded oil-paper umbrella to his right. "I've come now because I still have a life to live and I want to apologize. As for your location, that little kid pointed it out to me. Of course, this umbrella has some use too, although it's blurry, at least there's an outline."

  When did Ah Zi become so familiar with him? And what's with this umbrella?!

  Fang Xiaoling supported her forehead, feeling that her head was aching even more. "What crime am I being accused of? Mr. Zhang can't just pick this time to come and it's not just about the previous matter, is it?"

  Zhang Zuoyan seemed to think the sunlight was a bit dazzling, so he narrowed his eyes. Apart from those flashy things that aren't worth looking at, he now looked more like a cat that had eaten its fill and was basking in the sun. "What if it is? What if it isn't?"

  "Mingting is still asleep." Fang Xiaoling suddenly appeared out of nowhere and said that.

  "Aren't you afraid I'll do it again?"

  "If you really want to kill him, there's no need to go through so much trouble." Fang Xiaoling supported her slightly heavy head and said slowly, "Mingting has no guard against you at all. You just need to invite him to a deserted place, then... snap."

  Fang Xiaoling assumed a wiping-the-neck gesture and continued, "Dead men tell no tales. Unless I was around at the time, you can cover up all traces completely. Even if I suspected you, there's no evidence."

  "There are also monsters in the world who value evidence just like humans, I've never heard of such a thing before." Zhang Zuoyi lay comfortably on the grass, his head resting on his elbow, as relaxed as can be. "However, this saves me a lot of trouble. How about cooperating with me?"

  "Huh?" Fang Xiaoling said irritably, "Have you ever heard of any demon that would cooperate with humans?"

  "I've never heard of any demon guarding a human before." Zhang Zhaoyan raised an eyebrow, "Mutual understanding. Xun Qing is a special existence for you, and also for me. The imperial court is just a deep and bottomless muddy water, I don't want to drag him in. It's not good for him, and he doesn't like that kind of life either. But now, with the current situation, all eyes are on the Xun family, and as the eldest son, he can't escape this tide either. To completely clear his name, it's not something I can do alone. What's your take on this?"

  "What you say is always half true, how can I trust you?" Fang Xiaoling had been deceived once and had learned a lesson. This person was never as harmless as he appeared on the surface. This poisonous Manjusaka flower, she didn't have the leisure to use herself as a test subject again.

  Zhang Zuoyan didn't get annoyed and said calmly: "If you don't have any leverage, you'll just keep coming to ask me for cooperation, and that's when I'll start to feel uneasy."

  Zhang Zuoyan's underlying message is obvious: he's not afraid of a god-like opponent, but rather a pig-like teammate... yet this disdain still infuriates Fang Xiaoling.

  "So now, don't you have anything to say to me?" Fang Xiaoling was certain she was smiling, a big and beautiful smile, but somehow the smile seemed to exude a murderous aura.

  "If nothing unexpected happens, Qing has already handed over the Cyan Jade Order to you."

  "Xun Qing said that was his ancestral treasure, how could it be, isn't the jade ornament yours?" Fang Xiaoling sneered.

  Go ahead and continue to fabricate, see if you can come up with something even more ridiculous!!! Fang Xiaoling couldn't help but look down on him in her heart. She probably didn't need to consider the issue of cooperation anymore, as it was completely meaningless. Whether Zhang Zuoyan was a friend or foe was irrelevant; just based on his two-faced behavior, it was impossible to guess what he was thinking. The safest approach would be to keep a distance from him.

  "If I hadn't mentioned this before, do you think Qingyu Ling would still be in your hands? Who knows, by now Xun Qing might have already been taken away and locked up in the Xun Manor. It wouldn't be as pleasant as it is now!" Zhang Zuoyan suddenly turned his head around, staring blankly in Fang Xiaoling's direction.

  She gazed into his profound eyes and shivered inexplicably. Fang Xiaoling knew that Zhang Zuoyan couldn't see her, but in that instant, she distinctly felt like she was exposed under his gaze, even though her shadow had never appeared there before.

  "When did you say that?"

  "It's only natural before giving you the jade ornament." Zhang Zuoyan turned over, lazily yawning, as if he wasn't the one being pressed. "Think about it, if that thief found the Qingyu Token on Xunqing, then Xunqing might not be able to escape with just a stab wound. In the imperial court, the powers are complex and intertwined. If the Qingyu Token reappears, what kind of situation would it be? Not to mention who would be the biggest beneficiary, Xunqing's life would be in question. Even if he was the best, he couldn't escape the cage of the palace."

  The house was quiet for a long time before speaking again, and had already regained its calm composure. It was clear that Zhang Zuoyan was a very skilled negotiator, good at putting people in his own rhythm, and then controlling them from behind. Fang Xiaoling may be a bit simple, but her thousand-year lifespan was enough to make her vision more transparent.

  "Hah, did you think such a coincidence would happen?" Fang Xiaoling raised the corner of her lips, with a chilly glint in her eyes. "Just as Xun Qing had handed over the Qingyu Order to me, he was stabbed and killed." She straightened up, approaching Zhang Sao Yan, her five fingers tightly grasping his throat. "I suppose you're more aware than I am of what role you played in this. While you still have your life, why don't you tell me? Who knows, if I'm not happy later on, my hand might slip and hurt you."

  Zhang Zuoyan couldn't help but smile, the smile spreading from the corners of his lips to the tips of his eyebrows. The muscles in his face relaxed for a moment, and the guard and distrust hidden behind him dissipated by more than half.

  "Haha, haha haha haha!!" Zhang Zuoyan laughed loudly, Zhang Kuang was unstoppable, "Not bad, not bad. I didn't misjudge you." He paused for a moment, and continued, "However, there are some secrets that I don't want to say. But even if you don't know about these, it doesn't matter. As you expected, the news that Qingyu Ling is in Xunqing's hands was released by me... uh."

  Fang Xiaoling's fingernails had dug into his skin, and blood trickled down between her fingers, warm but unable to counter the chill in Zhang Zuoyan's eyes. Fang Xiaoling was also smiling, lightly saying: "Continue speaking."

  Zhang Zuoyan glanced at his own neck, only to see that one horizontal slash, dark red **along the slash, flowed unnaturally in mid-air, and he knew what was there.

  His handsome face had nothing but a smile, and his eyes were pitch black, with only deep-seated coldness, without any panic or timidity. He looked more like an outsider, calmly watching the person in front of him go crazy, all caused by himself.

  How ironic. He personally pushed his friend of many years into hell, yet he is so at peace, let alone feeling any guilt.

  "Calm down, I said there's nothing unexpected, I'm on Xun Qing's side."

  "How much credibility do your words have, you're clearer than me." Fang Xiaoling narrowed her eyes, and the force in her hand increased by a few degrees. "Zhang Zuoyan, you really should go to hell."